Doom 64 for Dreamcast: Impressions and Developer Interview

See, before I got my Dreamcast in November 1999 I owned a Nintendo 64. I couldn't get a Dreamcast at launch because my dear old mother (God rest her soul) forbade me from owning more than one console at a time. Consoles, she wagered (and therefore games of all types) led to a malady known simply as "brain rot." Her words, not mine. 

Regardless, I tell you this to set the scene of my pre-Dreamcast gaming habits. I wasn't what you'd call a hardcore Nintendo fan, you understand - the Nintendo 64 was actually the first Nintendo system I had owned at that point, having been a devout Saturn apologist immediatley prior and before that one of the 7 people in the UK who owned an Atari Jaguar (Jag reference: check). No, I got a Nintendo 64 because I simply had to have 'the fastest, most powerful games console on Earth,' which was ironic, seeing as that's how Nintendo's platform was officially marketed at one point.

Oooh...a Sonic the Fighters preview? Sold!

In the very early days of the Nintendo 64's existence, it was known as the Ultra 64, which apart from being possibly the sexiest moniker ever to grace a games console, also invited many a developer to prefix their upcoming titles with the word 'ultra.' With this in mind, one of the games that piqued my interest very early on was Ultra Doom. 

By the time the magazines were teasing Ultra Doom, I had already played the original Doom on the PC (a slightly decrepit 386 that even at the time was wheezingly obsolete, what with its Windows 3.1 operating system and lack of CD-Rom drive), and had then sampled Doom's delights/horrors on the Atari Jaguar and the Sega Saturn respectively. But Ultra Doom - which was later renamed Doom 64 - now...that held a certain fascination and morbid curiosity. It was Doom, but not as we knew it. Side note: I was also very much looking forward to the Ultra 64 port of Red Baron, but we'll probably never know what happened to that particular footnote of gaming history. Moving on...

Give GT Interactive a ring on that number bottom left. I dare you.

From the first time I saw those pink plasticine (clay) demons, foreboding sky boxes and brand new levels reproduced in tiny low resolution magazine preview shots, I knew I would one day play Doom 64. Quite simply, it was my destiny. Lo and behold, the prophecy was eventually fulfilled and Doom 64 was a constant inhabitant of my Nintendo 64's cartridge slot once I managed to get hold of a copy in late 1997 or early 1998. I can't quite remember exactly when I got Doom 64 because it was 27-odd years ago...and now I feel the crushing weight of middle age gripping my soul. Thanks for that.

Still banging on about Turok nine months later. Boring!

What I do remember though, is the magazine reviews. The journos of the era, I seem to recall, while not crushingly negative, weren't exactly enamoured with Doom 64: some reviews slagged off the sprite based visuals, puzzle design and complete lack of multiplayer options. Turok Dinosaur Hunter had also been out for a while by the time Doom 64 released, and many reviews were lukewarm on Midway and GT Interactive's Doom update for its reliance on 'old fashioned' visuals and gameplay tropes. 

That didn't bother me, though - I thought Doom 64 was excellent and I can clearly remember being awestruck the first time I saw that darkened corridor in the second level where the neon arrows are painted on the floor and ceiling. It was just mesmerising and fresh to me, especially having played other versions of 'normal' Doom to death. I should also mention at this point that I had also played the PlayStation port of Doom on a friend's console and I loved the colourful lighting...but, y'know, I didn't have a PlayStation. It is what it is.

It's about to kick off. Nice candles though.

By now, you're probably wondering what any of this tripe has got to do with the Dreamcast, and I think you'd be well within your rights to demand a refund of your internet data considering you came here to read about Dreamcast stuff. But here's the bait and switch: Doom 64 is now available on the Dreamcast...and it's possibly the best way to play 1997's Doomiest release in the present year...

Preview: Sovietborgs

Nearly three years on since the release of the fabulous Xenocider, Spanish indie development studio Retro Sumus have released more tantalising details about their follow-up Dreamcast and Mega Drive/Genesis offering, Sovietborgs. Retro Sumus have taken something of a diversion with Sovietborgs though - as you can probably tell from the screenshots dotted throughout this article - moving away from the polygonal splendour of Xara's 2021 Sin & Punishment homage, and instead channelled the likes of The Chaos Engine (and possibly early Saturn/PlayStation shooter Loaded) with this latest project.

For the record, the images here are taken from a very early demo of the Mega Drive version of Sovietborgs (releases for both Sega platforms were announced simultaneously), and the Dreamcast version promises visual and audio enhancements, more of which you can read about in the short interview below. But first, you may well be asking yourself: what the hell is a Sovietborg and why should I give a damn?!

According the official lore of Sovietborgs (um...Retro Sumus' Twitter account), the story goes a little something like this:

On November 9, 1989, 11:14 pm, the KGB's glorious electronic brain, Tovarishch-Prime, became self-aware, and immediately managed to take control of Arpanet, triggering the detonation of all capitalist thermo-nuclear devices inside their own silos. 

25 years later, the West remains a nuclear wasteland. But like cockroaches, there are still pockets of resistance and free-thinking threatening our workers' paradise. In these forsaken locations, new mutant races emerged due to radiation and their sickening capitalist mind. Fortunately, the Soviet People have developed a new unit of the illustrious Red Army, the Sovietborgs. 

Half man, half machine, all proletarian, they can go where no one else can, inmune to radiation, and liberate all new capitalist races from their pitiful existence. Join the Sovietborgs. Become a part of their prestigious present and future, travel the world pacifying all hotbeds of belligerence. Let the dream world of our venerable Tovarishch-Prime finally become a reality for all.

So yeah, something about capitalists and cyborgs. And guns. Lots of guns. We've played the limited demo of Sovietborgs and found it to be a rather enjoyable explore-and-shoot-stuff style romp, where you control the lead 'borg (designated by a little hat, naturally), while two AI controlled 'borgs follow you around and do your bidding. And by 'bidding' I mean shoot stuff. 

The demo is really only a single level, but it gives a good idea of what we can expect in the final game, with you controlling the squad as you move through ruined landscapes wiping out hordes of zombies which burst through randomly appearing portals with a taste for human brains; spider things that erupt from puddles of green ooze; and...er...mutant chickens which cluck forth from eggs that descend from the heavens. You need to destroy the delivery methods from which these unspeakable bastards all spring too, otherwise they'll just keep coming. This can be a bit problematic on a technical level as the demo does suffer a little with slow down when the hordes get a bit big, but we have no doubt this will be sorted in the final game and opens up the Dreamcast version for some absolutely enormous crowds of enemies streaming towards your squad. Nice.

Preview: Non Casual Encounter - Prologue

Non Casual Encounter (or, if you prefer, Encuentro No Casual in its native Spanish) is a brand new visual novel for Dreamcast. Developed by SEGASaturno Productions, the game is set for a full physical release in 2022; and we have been given an exclusive preview of the game's 'Prologue' chapter, hence the title Non Casual Encounter - Prologue. Confused yet? I know I am...and I'm the one typing these words.

If the name SEGASaturno Productions seems familiar, it's because this is the same indie studio that brought us the quirky Dreamcastnoid: 128 Bit Wars a few years back - you know, the Arkanoid clone where you had to smash PlayStation 2 consoles and which came on a miniature CD in a tiny case? Yep, that one. Non Casual Encounter is the follow up release from the veteran Spanish outfit - which incidentally is aligned with the popular Spanish language forum SEGASaturno - and the Prologue is a teaser for what is to come in the final game.

A couple of things to mention up top. First - this game represents *gasp!* the first time in my life I have ever played a visual novel, so I go into this blind. I know the Dreamcast has a glut of this type of game (check out DreamPod Episode 73: Visual Novels for a deep dive) but somehow I have simply never attempted to play one. Second - thanks go to Alfonso Martínez González from SEGASaturno Productions for deeming us worthy enough to test this sample of his new game. As he explains, the Prologue will be available as a physical release and will launch around Christmas 2021, with the full Non Casual Encounter releasing in 2022.

As this is a prologue to the final game, the main reason for its existence is to explain what players can expect in the full release of Non Casual Encounter, and honestly, it hits that target rather well. From the very start the sense of humour and self aware, fourth wall breaking dialogue is very well done, and even with the somewhat stilted English translation it is still easy to appreciate the tone. The game knows that it is a visual novel and pokes fun at the genre, inviting you in once instance for example, to ask a character about the lack of music. Complaining about this lack of ambience prompts the narrator to command the Dreamcast to start playing music from the game CD.

In another sequence a bizarre noise starts repeating and I wasn't sure if it was a glitch or something wrong with the game, until the character you're conversing with mentions the noise and explains how to make it stop. It's all very Eternal Darkness, and I really appreciate this type of humour. I don't want to give too much away as there really isn't a great deal of game here - it is after all a prologue - but what there is is certainly entertaining. True, there's not a lot of variety in the gameplay - simply reading the text, pressing A and occasionally choosing between different response options won't be everybody's cup of tea - but from what I have seen so far in this ~20 minute long prologue (with a few additional surprises for those who can unlock them) I am very much looking forward to what becomes of Non Casual Encounter's full fat release in 2022.

Non Casual Encounter - Prologue is likely to be released (physically, on a disc pesented in a cardboard sleeve) around Christmas 2021 for a budget price in order to whet peoples' appetite for the full game. We'll be keeping an eye on this cleverly written little adventure, and no doubt have a full review once it is released.

Keep an eye out on SEGASaturno for more information in the near future.

Update: the demo is now available and limited to 100 copies here.